When Child Care Costs More Than Rent, Women Stay at Home

The isolation of Living in Destiny

The number of women who leave the workplace to care for their children is on the rise, as the cost of child care grows exponentially. As this article on the Slate blog cites, the average cost of child care for two children costs more than rent in 81 percent of towns in the U.S. The Department of Health and Human services notes that child care costs should not exceed 10 percent of a family's income. However, in many areas, this cost vastly exceeds 10 percent; in Birmingham, New York, child care costs three times as much as rent, and in San Francisco, California, child care costs about half as much as rent -- a figure which, as Slate notes, takes on new meaning when it is considered that renting a bunk bed can cost upwards of 1,000 dollars. It is these exorbitant costs for what even President Obama has called a "must-have" service that is motivating many women to leave the workplace. As Slate points out, "...For a myriad of complex and intersecting reasons—cultural norms, the persistent wage gap that keeps men in business leadership positions, the likelihood of the baby’s initial primary caretaker to continue in that role—women are usually the ones who quit." In short, as women generally bring home less money than their male counterparts, coupled with social norms, they are often the ones who stay home with the children in order to avoid paying for often cripplingly expensive child care. Indeed; "Expensive child care doesn’t just keep women out of the workforce and hamper their autonomy—it sets off a ripple effect that sustains a system of income inequality, making both child-rearing and working outside the home privileges of the rich."

EPI Report: Poor Wages for Child Care Workers

The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) released a report on the low wages paid to child care workers within the United States. 
Over the past several decades, child care has become increasingly important to families throughout the country, as the rising cost of many necessities has required guardians of children to spend more time at work. Despite the critical role child care now plays for many, child care workers remain, as the EPI states, "among the country’s lowest-paid workers, and seldom receive job-based benefits such as health insurance and pensions." Within the document, the EPI notes that the median hourly wage of child care workers is $10.31, a staggering 39.3 percent below the $17.00 median hourly wage of those in other occupations. Additionally, only 15 percent of those who work in child care receive health insurance from their employer, compared to the 49.9 percent of workers in other occupations who do.

These disadvantages mean that child care workers ultimately struggle more than those in other jobs to make ends meet; the EPI states that, "In the majority of metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas across the country, more than 90 percent of child care workers (excluding preschool workers) cannot meet their local one-person budget." This also means that, ironically, many child care workers cannot afford child care for their own children. As the EPI report illustrates, "In 32 states and the District of Columbia, center-based infant care costs are equal to more than one-third of typical preschool worker earnings. In other words, a preschool worker’s entire pay in those states from January through at least April would be consumed by infant care costs."

These hardships are suffered predominantly by young women; 95.6 percent of child care workers are women, 15.4 percent of which are between the ages of 18 and 22, while 55.7 percent fall between the ages of 23 and 49. The majority of child care workers are born within the United States (81.2 percent), but are slightly more likely to be foreign-born when compared to workers within other sectors.

This EPI report illuminates the undeniably low wages made by child care workers and notes that, "It is abundantly clear that the unaffordability of child care is not driven by excessively lavish pay in the sector." Furthermore, it is impossible to improve the quality of child care by decreasing its cost and thus paying its workers smaller and smaller sums; increasing the number of children each worker is responsible for would increase productivity, but decrease quality of care. It is of little benefit to anyone to pile more and more work for lesser pay upon child care workers.

Publication - Lenscratch States Project - Kevin Miyazaki

Publication/Post - Lenscratch States Project

Watch Me Grow
January 10,  2016  - Kevin Miyazaki of Collect.Give invited us to be part of the Lenscratch States Project highlighting photographers from Wisconsin. Kevin visited the studio and took a portrait of us in front of the ancestor wall.

Watch Me Grow was featured.

Freya Jobbins & Hello Barbie: The Unnatural Nature of Dolls

We are what we eat- are we also what we play with? Australian artist Freya Jobbins asks questions about modern consumerism with her strange portraits made of doll parts. She states that “the irony of my plastic works is that I take a material that was created to be touched, and I make it untouchable as an artwork.”

Freya Jobbins with her dollies/raw materials

Jobbins' disturbing busts generate a lot of thought about what our expectations about children, forms of play, the nature of visual and tactile nurture, and children's imagination.







Some of these questions are discussed in a recent Wall Street Journal article about the newest generation of interactive, talking dolls.  

The description of six year old Riley's interaction with Hello Barbie  (a.k.a., chatterbot, talkbot, chatbot, Bot, chatterbox, Artificial Conversational Entity) provides no evidence of learning, imagination nor enlightenment.  In addition, most of these dolls are marketed to girls...apparently an appropriate subject for experimentation. Wi-Fi enabled, Hello Barbie and her owner's privacy is, of course, compromised.

Here's Hello Barbie's New York City iridescent magenta launch! 

Hello Barbie Review, by Sarah
HELLO Barbie Doll has been released! She retails for just under $75 and is for ages 6 and up. You will need access to an Android or Apple device in order to download the app to get her to work. She also needs to be hooked up to your home wi-fi network to function. 

After viewing this Hello Barbie review,  Jobbins' freakish busts look incredibly charming.....

Researching the Sublime

The Tate Gallery explores the power of the sublime in this fabulous site.
"The sublime has long been understood to mean a quality of greatness or grandeur that inspires awe and wonder. From the seventeenth century onwards the concept and the emotions it inspires have been a source of inspiration for artists and writers, particularly in relation to the natural landscape."

To make our constructed scenes, we studied representations of humanity pitted against monumental forces throughout art history. The landscapes of 19th century Romantic painters like John Martin, Caspar David Freidrich and J.M.W. Turner exemplify this. These artists employed various devices for heightened dramatic effect: light and darkness, turbulent seas, ferocious storms, dizzying chasms, raging rivers, insurmountable mountains, minute struggling humans. The presentation of human travail against great odds was intended to make viewers feel vulnerable, and to elevate them to recognize the struggle we share.

With ramped up color and action, current apocalyptic films and video games are the descendants of the romantic tradition. Both traditions are meant to induce terror via spectacle. Both try to move us to new considerations. Perhaps by contemplating worst case child care scenarios, we could stimulate ideas about an equitable and compassionate alternative.

Watch Me Grow: America's Unequal Childhoods

While documenting child care centers, we collected lists of the inventive names given to them. We chose titles for the images from the list  that worked in a paradoxical way with the allegorical landscapes.  The names suggested a cradled, protected childhood and proclaimed hope for the future. When paired with the scenes we created, they can be read as broken promises. Our title for the series, Watch Me Grow, can describe witnessing the growth of failure and despair, or suggest children thriving. 

 

A list of some of the Milwaukee childcare centers from a Google search

A Passion of Kids Childcare

A Little Attention Day Care
A Mother’s Love
A Promise of Hope Academy
A Step into Heaven Learning
A Step Up Childcare
Angelic Care Childcare LLC
About our Kidz Development/Learning
Academically Bound Child Care
Academics R Us
All About Me Child Care
Alice & Wonderful Land Learning Center
All God’s Children
All Night Child Care I & II
All Our Kids Childcare
All Walks of Life Child Care
Amazing Grace Childcare
Angel Care Day Care
Angelic Care Day Care
Angels Tiny Tots Child Care
Angels Watching Over You Child Care
Anointed Child Care Services
Apple Tree Artistic Learning Center
Atonement Early Childhood Center
Babes in Joyland
Babyland
Bee-lievers Day Care
Beautiful Beginnings
Before and After Child Care
Beginning to Blossom
Benevolent Child Care
Big Babies Play House
Big Bird Little Bird Daycare
Blue Moon Child Care
Bright Beginnings Children’s Center
Bright Horizons
Bumble Bee Learning Center
Chanel & Moe-Moe’s Daycare
Charlotte’s Web Crawlers
Cherish The Kids Day Care
Children of America
Children Are the Future Child Care
Children in Heavenly Hands Childcare
Children of the Future
Children of The Kingdom Academy
Children’s Edu-Care
Children Fantasy Childcare & Learning Center
Children’s Imagination Station II
Children’s Pantry Family Resource Center
Children’s Place of Joy
Child’s Land
Circle of Life Child Care
Come Learn with Me
Coral Bells Learning Center
Cradles Cribs & Crayons
Daddie’s Day Care
Danita’s Loving Hands Two
Dee’s Loving Childcare
Destiny’s Playland
Destiny’s Child Christian Academy
Dollie Little Darlings
Dreamland Childcare
Esperanza Del Futuro Child Care
Excellent Academy
Extra Loving Day Care
Eyes on God Day Care
Falling into Loving Arms
First Class Child Care
Follow the Yellow Brick Road
Follow Your Dream Child Care Center
Follow the Nurturing Nook
Future Family Day Care
Future of Tomorrow Child Development Center
Genesis I Child Daycare
Gingerbread Daycare
God’s Chosen Child Care & Development Center
God Creation Child Care
God’s Care Child Center
God’s Kidz R Us
Golden Rule Day Care Learning Center
Goldilocks Smart Start
Graham Cracker Childcare Center
Grandma Betty’s Babies
Grandma’s House Day Care Centers
Greater New Birth Child Development
Growing Treasures
Guardian Angel Learning Center
Guarding Your Angels
Happy Days Day Care Center 2
Hart and Starr Teaching and Learning Center
He Cares Christian Day Care
Heaven’s Angels Day Care
Heaven Sent Daycare
Heavenly Arms CC& LC
Home Away From Home
Honey Bears Learning Tree
House of Destiny Little Saints Child Care
I Care Kids Care
In Caring Hands
I HeartKids Childcare
Inspired Kingdom Evangelistic Ministries
Itty Bitty Kiddy City
Jesus Loves Daycare
Jesus Loves Daycare Two
Joyful Love Childcare Center
Joyful Noise Child Care
Jubilee of Colors Too
Just Like Home Family Day Care
Kids Kollege Child Development
Kiddie Academy of Learning
Kid Tech Incorporated
Knowledge Nest Child Care Center
Kids Are Smart
Kids Palace Learning Center
Kidz N Playhouse CC Academy
Kingdom Care Child Care Center
Kids Rule Academy
Kids R Just Kids
Kids R Kreative
Kid’s World
Knowledge IS Power Christian Child Care
Kuddle Care Academy
Kiddie Academy of Learning
Learn Through Love
Lil Dinks & Bubbles
Lil Einstein’s Academy of Excellence
Lil Kings & Queens Child Care 2
Lit’l Scholars Day Care
Little Angel Academy Child Development Center
Little Fish in the Sea Day Care
Little Leaders Learning Center
Little Peoples Academy
Little Peewee Day Care Center
Love at First Sight Learning Academy
Love Laugh & Learn
Love Nest Little Angels I & II
Loveable Miracles
Loving Arms Child Care
Loving a Generation Day Care
Magic Me
Miss Daisy’s Daycare Center
More Precious Thanks Gold Child Care
Most Precious Journee
Most Precious Possessions I & II
Mother Jones Childcare Academy
Mothers Helper Day Care
New Beginnings ChildCare Center Stage 2
New Creation Christian Daycare
New Direction Child Care Center
New Millennium Child Care
Next Generation Child Development
Nursery Scholars
Nurturing Nook Inc.
One Small Step Academy
One Two Three Four Childcare
One Step Ahead Developments
Only God Can Children’s Academy
Open Arms Child Care
Open Hands
Our Child Our Future Learning Center
Our Children First
Our Growing World
Over the Rainbow Family Day Care
Over the Top Learning Academy
Perfecting Kids Academy
Precious Babes Christian Day Care
Precious Moments Childcare Center
Precious Little Angels
Precious Minds & Memories Childcare
Prince of Peace Day Care Center
Princess Family Daycare
Pristine Child Care
Pumkin’s Playland
Quality Life Services Daycare
Ray’s Lil’s Lamb Family Day Care
Rising Star Learning Academy
Rock a Bye Baby Child Care
Roses of Today’s Children
Royal Palace Child Care Center
Safe Haven
Sallie’s Love Land Phase II
ShaNANNYgans Childcare Center of Milwaukee
Shatia’s Love Center
Shining Star Development Center
Shmeka Soul Daycare
Shower of Blessings
Small Wonders
Small Talk University
Smart Kidz
Spirit Life Creative Christian Childcare
Strawberry’s Shortcake Child Development Center
Sugar & Spice Child Care Center
Sun Shine Palace Childcare
Sunrise to Sunset Child Care Center I & II
Superstar Child Care
Tangle’s Just Like Mommy
Teddy Bear Child Care
Teenie Tiny Tots Childcare Center
TenderCare Child Care Center
Through The Eyes of A Child
Tigger Playpen
Tiny Little Creations
Tiny Green Trees
Tippi Toes Child Care Center
Toddle Town
Tomorrow’s Future Early Childhood
Tomorrow’s Leaders Learning Center
Touch of Love Child Care & Learning Center
Toy’s Lil Looney Child Care
Tweety Bird Day Care
Tweety & Tots
Unique 8 Childcare Center
Utopia Child Care Centers
VIP Child Care Services
Victorious Child Care
Watch Me Grow
Wee People Dreamworld Daycare
Wee Willie’s Wonderland
What About the Children
Young Achiever Learning Center
Young Minds Preschool
Your Child My Child

Economic Hardship Reporting Project

Guided by award-winning journalists Barbara Ehrenreich and Alissa Quart, the Economic Hardship Reporting Project is changing the national conversation around both poverty and economic insecurity. Their stories – from narrative features to photo essays and video – put a human face on financial instability.
Launched in 2012, EHRP arose in a bleak climate. Over the past decade, poverty in the U.S. has soared. Despite economic growth, inequality continues to rise. It’s the biggest domestic economic story of our lifetimes: intractable, long-term unemployment, a yawning income gap between the wealthy and the lower middle class, and record numbers of people in poverty.

We look forward to working with EHRP on a project addressing the landscape of daycare.

See another photographic project by Matt Black, The Geography of Poverty.